Falcons aim to bring indoor racing to city

EXETER Falcons could become speedway pioneers if new plans come to fruition.

The club are investigating the idea of building Britain's first permanent indoor speedway track after a painstaking search for a new home.

The latest plans were drawn up after the Falcons' intended move to Exeter Racecourse collapsed.

It is now five years since the former County Ground tenants had a home, with complaints from local residents and disagreements with landlords vetoing proposed sites.

Club backers ManorDelta believe the development of an indoor track would solve the problems and help the Falcons to fly again.

ManorDelta spokesman and Falcons stalwart Tony Lethbridge admits the main problems behind the project would be meeting what are expected to be high costs for building and development.

But, with the plans already in the hands of the group's lawyers and a number of track and building experts working hard on costing the project, Lethbridge believes the early signs suggest the idea will be viable.

"We've got to get down to the nitty-gritty now. The lawyers are working on it and in the next couple of weeks hopefully we'll have more on it," he said.

"The reaction from quite a few people involved with speedway has been excellent and no one can see any major flaws.

"It will simply be a matter of how much it costs and whether we can afford to pay for it.

"But at the moment it's positive. We've been four or five years looking for a home and perhaps we might have to wait just a little bit longer because I think it could terrific."

Lethbridge says ideal locations for the project would be at Sowton or Matford industrial estates. The Falcons are also looking into the possibility of re-igniting a council scheme to build a sports park at Whipton, with the speedway track as a potential part of the complex.

And Lethbridge believes an indoor track will raise huge possibilities for the club — as well as its profile — and could even lead to the improvement of the sport in the country.

"Britain is not doing brilliantly in world speedway at the moment and if we had something like (an indoor track) then we'd have a really good opportunity for winter practice," he explained.

"There would be all sorts of potential there for the Falcons to generate some income by inviting other clubs to maybe use it. It could work to everyone's advantage and be a real benefit because a venue like that could be used for other things as well."